Chapter 166. Do You Still Remember 1040 Project?
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"Achoo!"
"Nagato-sama, do you need to rest for a while?"
"No need." Nagato calmly rubbed his nose, paying no mind to the sudden sneeze. He looked at the stabilized prison facility, especially at the three expressionless figures working nearby. After a moment of contemplation, he instructed, "Keep a close eye on those three—especially that ninja from Sunagakure. He's got a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Don't let your guard down!"
"…" The Akatsuki member nodded seriously. "Understood! There won't be any mistakes this time!"
"I'm heading out. Call me if anything comes up." Nagato waved his hand dismissively. "Don't let another incident happen!"
This time, they just got lucky.
If not… that guy really would have escaped!
How should he put it?
It must have been fate.
Of all the carriages they could have intercepted, it just happened to be Brother Yuto's.
Was that bad luck or good luck?
Sure enough!
Brother Yuto was poisonous!
Just as Nagato was lost in thought—
"Nagato-sama! Boss Yuto is here!" An Akatsuki ninja ran in frantically.
The moment the words were spoken—
Nagato was stunned for a moment, then floated up with an expressionless face. "Tell him I'm not here!"
And just like that—he vanished!
"???"
Why did Nagato-sama suddenly panic?
At that moment—
Yuto also walked in and looked at the Akatsuki ninja in confusion. "Didn't you say Nagato was here? Where is he?"
"…Nagato-sama just left!" The Akatsuki ninja hesitated before adding, "He said he's not here!"
"???" Yuto was momentarily stunned. He muttered, "Why is he suddenly 'not here'? Is he seriously going through a rebellious phase? Afraid of spending time with adults?" Then, he glanced at the Akatsuki ninja, who was gazing wistfully at the stars. "Forget it. Just take me to see that Suna ninja."
This time, he was only here to see Sasori.
But Nagato…
Was that kid avoiding him?
Why?
He was handsome, generous, and rich—why would anyone avoid him?
Young people were impossible to understand!
He sighed.
[I'll talk to Yahiko later. Mental health is important. We can't ignore it!]
Following the Akatsuki ninja, Yuto entered the prison. For convenience, this large facility was built near the mines.
And with certain individuals' help, escaping from here was now virtually impossible.
Soon, they arrived at the prison cafeteria.
The moment Yuto saw a lonely figure with red hair, he fell silent. He sighed internally. "What a sin!"
At the end of the day, he was too soft-hearted!
Without hesitation, he walked forward.
…
No friends?
Is that a problem?
Sasori wasn't bothered by having no friends. He'd never had any since childhood, so this was nothing new. No way these idiots could do anything to him.
Aside from feeling momentarily abandoned by the ninja world the other day, everything else was fine. He still lived as he always did.
But how to say it?
Even if he was stuck here forever, he—Sasori of the Red Sand—would never want to see that bastard again!
Damn it!
As a ninja, he was riding a carriage?
The disgrace of the ninja world!
Sasori slowly peeled his last egg. Every day at lunch, he got one boiled egg. After eating, he could rest for a while before the afternoon work shift.
As for escaping… Forget it. He was tired.
This place was pretty good! Everyone here was talented, conversations were entertaining, and honestly—he kind of liked it here!
After a while, Sasori finished peeling the egg. He slowly put it in his mouth—
And suddenly, his vision darkened, and it seemed as if someone was sitting opposite him.
Sasori frowned and looked up. Who dared to be so bold as to sit opposite him?!
Wasn't he afraid of being ostracized by others?
But then—
He saw the figure in front of him.
"..."
Sasori stared blankly at the black-haired figure in front of him, and suddenly…
"Mmph!"
Sasori clutched his chest, his face turning blue, and he kept beating his chest.
Why was this bastard here?!
Yuto had just sat down and was about to speak, but then he saw Sasori's face turn blue, his eyes rolling back. He was stunned for a moment.
"Huh? You're that excited to see me?"
Why was he beating his chest like a gorilla?
But then—
Sasori reached for water. Yuto immediately realized what was happening. His expression changed, and he shouted, "Help! Help! He's choking!"
This kid… was so excited he choked on his food!
…
What a sin!
Sasori, now feeling much better, took a deep gulp of water. Then, turning his head, he looked at the man sitting across from him with a complicated expression. After a brief silence, he said, "This time... I don't want to leave."
How was it possible that even here, he still ran into this bastard?
At that moment—
He suddenly felt utterly disillusioned with the ninja world once again!
However—
"No!" Yuto shook his head with a serious look, then smiled. "You do! You want to leave!"
"I don't want to!"
"You really want to!"
"I really don't want to!"
Just as Sasori firmly finished speaking—
"Bang!" Yuto slammed the table hard. "I said you want to leave, so you want to leave! Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
"…" Sasori's mouth twitched. He had no idea what this guy was trying to do.
Was he looking for an excuse to kill him?
How boring.
After a brief silence, Sasori asked, "What do you want from me?"
"Nothing much. I just need you to make something. As long as you make it, I can apply to have your sentence reduced." Seeing that Sasori had resigned himself to fate, Yuto nodded in satisfaction. Then, in a tempting tone, he added, "How about it? Are you excited? Are you happy? This is a rare opportunity! Don't worry, I believe that with your skills, as long as you make the thing, I guarantee your sentence will be shortened and you can get out as soon as possible!"
"…"
No, I actually like it here now.
I don't want to leave!
But seeing the meaningful look in this bastard's eyes, Sasori still raised his eyelids, half-closed his eyes, and a hint of sarcasm curled at his lips. "What do you need me to do?"
As expected.
No matter what kind of ninja it was, no one would let him go easily. It seemed… the Land of Rain was keeping him here to make some kind of terrifying weapon!
Hah.
How dull.
But since that was the case…
"I have confidence in my craftsmanship. What do you want me to make?"
"Oh, this—I've already drawn up the plans!"
"Looks like you've come well-prepared."
"Of course! Time is money—I can't afford to waste it!" Yuto, pleased with Sasori's attitude, cheerfully pulled out a scroll and spread it open. "Look, it's simple! Just this."
At that—
"…" Sasori calmly looked at the design.
A moment later—
His eyes widened slightly, and his eyelid twitched. "Nine-Tails? Interesting idea."
"Right?! I designed it especially!"
"But it's not that easy to make!" Weapons based on Tailed Beasts weren't a new idea, but few had ever been successfully created. "If that's the case, I'll need some Tailed Beast chakra."
"What do you need that for?"
"You're not using Tailed Beast chakra? Are you making a purely mechanical weapon?" Sasori frowned, pondering for a moment. "Without chakra, its power won't be very strong. No wonder this Nine-Tails looks so fat—is it supposed to store weapons inside?"
"What are you talking about? Power? You mean the power of cuteness?" Yuto gave him a confused look, then lowered his head and waved his hand indifferently. "Forget it! Why are you always thinking about messed-up things all the time?"
Pointing at the blueprint, he continued, "I want you to make a small Nine-Tails, like you make a puppet. It doesn't need to be big—just small enough to hold. It should wag its tail, make cute noises, blink its eyes, be soft and squishy… Isn't that cute?"
As he finished, he looked up at Sasori, who seemed frozen in shock, and immediately frowned. "Hey, hey, are you even listening? I'm telling you—if you don't make it properly, your sentence will be increased!"
"…This? Just this?"
Sasori tilted his head, utterly dumbfounded.
Suddenly, something came to his mind, but he didn't know whether he should say it or not.
…
Meanwhile, in a certain underground cave…
Ever since Madara left, the place had descended into chaos.
Every day—
A bunch of White Zetsus fought over a single computer.
It was an absolute mess.
"Should we go to an internet cafe? I really got a Paralyzing Nine-Tails yesterday!"
"Huh? Lucky! But we don't have money… Once I go to an internet café, I want milk tea. And once I drink milk tea, I want to top up 648… But Black Zetsu won't fund us!"
"I miss Madara-sama!"
"Madara-sama died so tragically!"
The White Zetsus whined in boredom.
Suddenly—
A brilliant light shone in the eyes of one particularly "smart" White Zetsu. "We can just make money!"
"Stop dreaming! The mission comes first! We don't have time! Black Zetsu will kill you!"
"Yes, yes! Don't run off!"
"That's right! You'll die!"
"No! We don't even need to work!" The "smart" White Zetsu narrowed its eyes, speaking in a mysterious tone.
"Remember… that Project 1040 that was given to Madara?"
At those words—
All the White Zetsus froze for a second. Then… there was a gleam of wisdom in all their eyes.
"Ohhh~!"
[T/N: The 1024 Project is changed to the 1040 Project. Sorry for the mistake. It was later rectified in the raw story, so I overlooked it. By the way, the 1040 Project is a real MLM scam that happened in China. If you're interested in the details, you can check it out on Wikipedia.]
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